Tourism

In recent years, Peru has established itself as one of the world’s most unique tourism destinations, with much of the sector’s growth resting on the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu. According to the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism, international arrivals increased from a total of 993,706 in the period between January and September 2004 to 2.6m during the same nine-month period in 2015. Sector revenues have also seen a gradual increase, reaching $3.8bn in 2014. The government expects to attract up to 5.1m visitors annually by 2021 and generate income of close to $7bn. To accelerate expansion over the coming years, tourism authorities and the private sector are simultaneously increasing promotional efforts and developing the country’s touristic products. Meanwhile, an inflow of private capital into the growing hospitality sector and infrastructure development is opening up other regions of the country to domestic and international visitors. This chapter contains an interview with Magali Silva Velarde-Álvarez, Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism.